Sturm vs Nottingham Forest Prediction for 7 November 2025 - Football

🔊 Can Sturm's European experience help them overcome Nottingham Forest? The Austrians are experiencing a slump, having won just once in their last four matches. Prior to the last Europa League round, they were on a flawless four-game winning streak. The English side, under new management, are striving to bring back the pragmatic football that once yielded results. The "Tricky Trees" face an away trip to Graz at the Merkur Arena, where the hosts remain unbeaten this European season. Can they continue their strong performances on home turf? We assess both teams' chances in our editorial prediction.

Head-to-Head

📊 The teams have not faced each other before.

Sturm Graz Team Overview

Jurgen Soymel's team is experiencing a downturn following their 2-1 defeat to Celtic in the third round of the Europa League. Prior to this, they were on a four-match winning streak. The challenging schedule is largely to blame. Besides the "Celts," Sturm Graz have faced the top two and top three teams of the Austrian Bundesliga — Rapid Vienna (1-2) and Wolfsberger AC (1-3). They did manage to secure one victory in this stretch. In the cup, they narrowly defeated the modest Admira from the second division, and only after a penalty shootout (1-1 in regular time; 10-9 on penalties).

The team's standout player is Otar Kusheishvili. The Georgian is Sturm's top scorer with eight goals across all competitions, with most of his goals coming in the Bundesliga (six goals). However, like the team's overall form, his performance has dipped. He has now gone four matches without finding the back of the net. The key player for the Austrians in the Europa League is Tomi Horvat, who has contributed three goal involvements in the last two rounds (2 goals and 1 assist).

Nottingham Forest Team Overview

The arrival of Sean Dyche at Nottingham has been a breath of fresh air. Or perhaps more accurately, a return to the foundational settings reminiscent of Nuno Espírito Santo's era. Ange Postecoglou's dynamic football didn't quite take root, but the Englishman who replaced him has already delivered results, defeating Porto in the Europa League (2-0). This was followed by a less successful away performance against Bournemouth (0-2). However, back at the City Ground, the Forest displayed their class once again, nearly overcoming Manchester United (2-2). They fell just short, leading until the 81st minute.

Sean Dyche has become a symbol of renaissance not only for Nottingham but also for individual players. In three matches under the new manager, team captain Morgan Gibbs-White has scored twice. One goal secured the win against Porto, and the other equalized the score against Manchester United. Interestingly, against the Red Devils, the Englishman scored off an assist from his compatriot Ryan Yates. The 27-year-old midfielder is a true stalwart of the club. He has journeyed with Nottingham Forest from the Championship to the Premier League over four years. This season marks Yates' ninth with Nottingham Forest.

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Sturm Graz

❌ Sturm's major setback was the sending off of defensive midfielder Toti Chukwuani in their match against Celtic. The team already struggles at the back, mainly due to questionable form from their goalkeepers. Daniil Khudyakov was expected to be the first choice, but he injured his wrist over the summer and is only now getting back to full fitness. In his place, Matteo Bignetti and Oliver Christensen have been playing, with Christensen also recently returning from injury. However, neither has cemented their place as a regular starter, often finding themselves on the bench.

Nottingham Forest

🎙 A real controversy erupted over Manchester United's first goal against Nottingham Forest. Sean Dyche criticized the referees: "I watched the replay. Two wrong decisions were made against us. The referees awarded corners that weren't there: one last week and another this week. It's a really poor decision. It has a significant impact. We're desperately fighting to climb up the table."

❌ Nottingham are facing an injury crisis. Ahead of their match against Sturm, Sean Dyche will definitely be without Ola Aina, Chris Wood, and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Douglas Luiz and Callum Hudson-Odoi are also doubtful after failing to finish the game against Manchester United in the Premier League.

⚽️ Goal Prediction

⚽️ Goal Prediction

Sean Dyche has had limited time to reshape Nottingham's game, with only three matches under his belt. Progress is noticeable mainly in their home fixtures. On the road, the Forest have conceded in seven consecutive games. Meanwhile, Sturm have found the net in eight straight matches, regardless of the venue. The Austrian side's average expected goals in their last five encounters stands at 1.12. Therefore, it's reasonable to expect that Sturm will score at the Merkur Arena.

🚩 Corner Prediction

We anticipate that under their new manager, Nottingham will abandon their high defensive line and adopt a deeper setup. Sean Dyche's influence is already evident: in their last three matches, the Forest have averaged just 46% possession. This should grant Sturm ample freedom in attack, especially at the Merkur Arena, providing plenty of opportunities to capitalize on set-pieces. In the Austrian Bundesliga, Jürgen Säumel's team ranks in the top two for corners, averaging 5.91 per game. At home, this figure rises to 7.25. Therefore, we expect at least 4.5 corners from Sturm.

Identifying a clear favorite is challenging despite the differences in odds and team caliber. Both sides are still far from consistently picking up points in European competitions and their domestic leagues. Therefore, let's focus on individual metrics. Nottingham are scoring at a level comparable to the top four in the Europa League, with six goals across three matches (two per game). Sturm, on the other hand, have conceded an average of 2.2 goals in their last five games. The attacking prowess of the English side is undoubtedly superior, suggesting they should outgun their opponents and secure a win – likely with a scoreline of 2-1. Given this scenario, betting on Nottingham Forest to score over 1.5 goals seems a sound choice.